Christian comedy hits Anderson with a one-night show

As it turns out, there are several different styles of comedy out there. There is observational humor, there is mocking comedy and there are even a growing number of ventriloquists making the rounds these days. But what you don't hear about all that often are the Christian comedians who come to the stage of gospel hours and church pulpits around the country. These are the people Douglas Lofton, owner of So Bold Entertainment in Anderson, wanted to bring to the Electric City, and he has with the first ever Christian Comedy at its Best show on Saturday.

Hosted by Anderson's own Sister Addie B, the Christian Comedy at its Best show will feature big-name Christian comedians Mike Goodwin and Marty Simpson as well as an up-and-coming Greenville comedienne in Big Lovely O. Lofton said this is a market that has not been tapped into in Anderson and something he hopes will catch on with audiences this weekend.

"I don't think there is enough going on out there for community organizations and families and there is almost no comedy coming through Anderson," he said. "I want to bring in an event to this part of the ‘Bible Belt' and see if they are interested at all."

Christian comedy, Lofton pointed out, is not unlike the other comedy styles out there today. Christian comedians deal in the hilarious, everyday happenings of life and comment on them like any other comedian who might be clean or a bit, well, raunchy. But where Christian comedy differs is that the topics always lead back to the gospel, and many of the stories come right from the comedians' own churches.

Lofton said audiences will see a little of themselves in the routines. And the adage that "it's funny because it's true" is no more obvious than in Christian comedy.

"This is clean comedy and brings the funny from our places of worship," Lofton said. "Instead of a club or somewhere else, it comes from Sunday services."

Lofton said the response to the show has been good so far, but he would like to see more tickets sold in advance. He also realizes he needs to educate many people about Christian comedy before they just show up. Plus, he wanted to do it around Mother's Day as a chance to bring mom out for a night.

"You can bring your mother, you can bring your kids, you can bring your whole church," Lofton said. "This is a show that has no limits."

The Christian Comedy at its Best show will be at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Civic Center of Anderson, 3027 Marting Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Anderson. Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door. For more information, call 864.934.4636 or buy your tickets at Rainbow Records in Anderson, WZLA 92.9 in Abbeville or Mike-Nificent Cutz in Hartwell, Ga.